Thursday, June 30, 2016

Tonight Bro. Cook taught an excellent lesson in church. His title was, "I'm Not Lucky, I'm Blessed". His main text was from Luke 5:1-7. The world we live in is so caught up in being lucky. There is the four leaf clover or a rabbits foot for luck. People are looking for luck in the strangest places and will do strange things to find it. What we really need to be is blessed. What does it mean to live a blessed life? How do we dwell in the blessings of God? To have a blessed life, does not mean blessings literally as in things. To have the blessings of God is to have the unmerited favor of God in our life. We read in Luck that the disciples had been fishing all night. They caught nothing and were in the process of washing their nets. They were finished after tiling all night for nothing. We work according to our abilities. When we come the point when we have exhausted all possibilities, we stop, we are done. If there is no reward for the effort there is reason to do it. Sometimes we do everything right and everything goes wrong. If blessings is the result of our efforts, than anything I accomplish isn't a blessing at all. It's not about what I can do, it's about what God can do. Blessings come from God. God will allow us to come to a point when we have used all our resources, when they end, that's when he steps in. We do our work and God does the rest. When we place our trust in him and enter a rest in the Lord, God does it for us. We plant the seed and God waters it. God is in control, don't worry about it. As long as we are in control, there is no place or room for his grace to come into the situation. Grace is so important. Grace is what moves the mountain. When we are becoming overwhelmed by the situating, we need to speak grace into it. We must be spiritually minded and not in the natural when we look at the situations we are facing. Grace provides the result. Blessings follow Grace. When you have Grace covering you, the blessings will follow. God will always teach us something right where we are. In our place of failure, there is a place of fear. When fear comes, you start to imaging all kinds of bad things. Fear takes ahold of you and holds you captive. We must speak against it. God has not given us the spirit of fear. Allow the grace of God to break the back of fear in our life. Fear stands in the way of your blessings. Learn from your failures, do not let them defeat you. Speak God's grace into your life, place your trust in God and his blessings will follow. God is good.

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Today we spent the day at the Ocean. I was glad to take my mom as well as Ross and RJ. The weather was beautiful. Later in the evening, I enjoyed a nice time with a dear friend. The day started out with not so good news. A childhood friend of mine was killed in a car accident and my Uncle suffered a stroke and is in the hospital. Please hold him up in your prayers. I thank you for the continual prayers for my mom. In everything give thanks. God is good.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Tonight's Home Bible Study was about knowing the voice of God. To know his voice you need to read the Bible on a daily bases. Also, you need to spend time with him in prayer. A daily walk with God will guide you and keep you on the right path. It was a good lesson. God is good.

Monday, June 27, 2016

I had an interesting experience today. A repairman came by the house. After he gave me a breakdown of what needed to be done and the cost, I told him that I wanted to call my husband to discuss it. The repairman become very upset and proceeded to give me a lecture on how I needed to be my own woman. I didn't need to call my husband for advice and could make decisions without my husband. This upset me a great deal. I told him that we make decisions together and will not be a house devided. He couldn't grasp that I was submitted to my husband in the present day we live in. I'm not a doormat, but I am submitted. There is power in submission and it pleases the Lord. The spirit in the world is against all things in God's word. We will not be a house devided. No matter how unpopular the word of God becomes, I will stand on it. God is good.

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Today, Bro. Farragamo preached a sermon with the title, "We Must Be About Our Father's Business". His main text was taken from Luke 2:42-49. Jesus was a man on a mission. He came to do the will of the Father. If we are going to be about our Father's business we need to be focused on the Kingdom of God. Building God's kingdom needs to be our greatest desire. Saving the souls of men and women was why Jesus came to this earth. We are to be kingdom minded and share this gospel of Jesus Christ with as many as we can. His gospel is the Acts 2:38 message. The Apostles were the first church and they preached the gospel and in doing so, they turned the world upside down. We are the church of today. We must be making an impact on the world around us. Time is running out, Jesus is coming soon. We must be about our Father's business, we must be sharing this gospel. We must pray. Prayer is the power source. Prayer changes things. It's so important that we are in a continual state of revival. We must keep the spirit of God alive within us. In this present day, it's so important that the church not dilute the Acts 2:38 message. We must hold to it and not back down from it. This truth divides and it saves. We are the last day church and it's time for the church to be about our Father's business and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was a compelling sermon. Four people were baptized and three received the precious gift of God's spirit inside of them. Acts 2:38 is alive and well in Bethel. God is good.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Today our church had Family Fun Day. RJ had a lot of fun trying out each challenge. It was nice to be with our church family and see the kids having such a good time. They did an excercise where the mom's were blindfolded. Once the mom's were not able to see, the children went across from them at a distance. The kids were then instructed to yell out for their mom. At first it sounded like a bunch of seagulls. Then, I was amazed at how I was able to distinguish RJ's voice from the many other children all calling out for mommy. I found him in a sea of voices with a blindfold on. I didn't grab any other child, only mine. It was a nice day and I'm glad RJ had fun. God is good.

Friday, June 24, 2016

One of my favorite parts of summer is when Bob and I go out for a date and ride in the Alfa Romeo. The weather was perfect and the sunset was beautiful. We decided to try a different place for dinner. Taby's in Oyster Bay and I had the best crab cake I have ever tasted. I love my husband and appreciate nights like tonight. God is good.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Tonight for Thursday night Bible study, Bro. Ralph taught the lesson. He read from the book of Jude with the focus on Jude 1:3. His title was, "I See A Generation!". Jude wrote this because ungodly men were infiltrating the church. They were taking grace and compassion to fulfill their own desires. In our present day, everyone wants to allow the word God, but not Jesus. The idea is to be all inclusive, but you better not try and bring Jesus into the mix. God is ok, just don't give him a name. Jesus the name above all names, his name changes everything. People want freedom of choice, but there is no freedom from the consequences that come with the choices that we make. God is God on Heaven and on Earth. In this present day, there is a lack of want to follow the rules and regulations. You be you, and I be me. God set an order to follow, he doesn't like it when we go out of his order and against his authority. Jude was warning the church that they must be contenders for the faith. When you turn your back on God you are an empty vessel. Jesus fills you up. He is joy, peace, mercy, love, holy and righteous. Everyone wants the first four, but they don't want the holiness or righteousness of God. The world is becoming more and more Anti-Christ. We must stand for his truth and his word. There is one Lord, one Faith and one Baptism. The Acts 2:38 message must be upheld, we must fight for it. There is only one God and his name is Jesus. One way to Heaven and the is to be baptized in the name of Jesus and filled with his spirit by evidence of speaking in other tounges. Only the blood of Jesus can wash away our sins, his spirit fills us and lifts us up. We must fight for the truth and the faith of God's truth. We are the generation to stand for this truth. If you are going to fight for the faith you must obey his word. This faith is the substance of things hoped for. Many people don't the Christian point of view. Everyone speaks tolerance, but if you are a Christian and stand for what the word of God says, you can be accused of being a hater. We are to love all people, but hate the sin. Sin is sin, no matter how it's coated or made to look. Love all people, but do not accept the sin. The more we stand for God's word, the more we will stand out. To fight this fight of faith, we do it on our knees in prayer. We must pray and be filled with his spirit. We must fast and pray. We must have compassion for others and compassion mixed with fear. Speak the truth with love. God is coming so soon. Stand for this truth. Do not back down and allow his truth to be watered down. No matter what, there is one God and one way to Heaven. Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." This truth still stands today. My Father in law loved this truth and he preached it to anyone he could. When we had his funeral, we had tracks he made himself with this truth printed on it. I made a promise to him that I would not ever walk away from this truth. He was a contender for the faith. He fought for it, up to his last breath. I still hold to this truth! I will not walk away from it and I will continue to stand on it and fight for it. My son will know it and I will teach it to him. My Father in Law poured this truth into my son and I will carry it on. God is good.

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

My neighbor and I share a passion for flowers. This year as we were planting my Mother's Day flowers, my neighbor came over. She had in her hands several plants ready to be transplanted from the pots and into the ground. She didn't tell me what they were, just said they were a special surprise. Each day I watched the buds grow and anticipated what they would be. Today, one bloomed. The flower is very beautiful, the fragrance it releases is absolutely amazing. As the fragrance surrounded me, I thought about how Jesus is called, "The Lilly of the Valley". Jesus also talked about how he clothes the Lilly. My new flower is a Lilly. If God can make a flower so beautiful and give off such a pleasing fragrance, how much more can he do in our lives? When I'm having a day when I start to worry, I need to consider the Lilly. God cares and he will take care of tomorrow. I need to allow his fragrance to be around me and fill me. God is good.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Tonight's Bible Group lesson was on the topic that God is able and willing. We all have something that if we are not careful can begin to replace God as first in our lives. We need to be sure to keep him as our number one. When we do this, we know that God is able and willing to bring us through all things. It was a good group and I appreciated the lesson. It's clear that summertime is upon us and the heat is here. Ross put a pair of sunglasses on Pearl and she seemed ready for summer. I share with you a picture of Pearl and hope it puts a smile on your face. God is good.

Monday, June 20, 2016

Today is officially the first day of summer. We decided to have a BBQ. RJ's friend from next door came over and the boys had a balloon fight. We ended the night with a Father's Day cake for Bob. I'm thankful for my husband. God is good.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

This weekend we had a nice time celebrating Father's Day in NJ. Yesterday, we took my mom and Grammy to Ocean City for sunshine and fun. Today we enjoyed a Brunch celebrating our Dads. Ross and RJ both said nice things about Bob. The boys ended the day by painting the garage door for Grammy. It was a nice weekend and I know Bob had a great Father's Day. I wish I could have seen my dad. I'm thankful for him and the Godly example he is. I'm also thankful for my husband who is an outstanding daddy to our boy and roll model to Ross. God is good.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Tonight Pastor Davis taught from Philippians 3:13-14 with the title, "Press Toward The Calling". We need to be careful that we don't get stuck in the past and forget to be in the present. We must also make sure the we are continually pressing forward into our future. We all have made mistakes and have had past failures. It's so important we don't cling to those mistakes. We must leave those things behind. Pastor Davis likes to say the best is yet to come, because we need to always moving forward toward the things God has for us. The high calling of God is a privilege. Nothing comes close in life as the calling of God. We are all called by God for an eternal purpose. We are not born just to work a job, you are called of God to be a light. It is so important that we have a higher standard of living. We must be Christ like in everything we do and in where we go. Many are called but few are chosen, Mathew 22:14. God will call out to us, it is up to us to respond. When we respond, he then chooses us. If God calls us to repentance and we do not answer, than he can not choose us. The called and chosen are faithful to him. He is faithful to those are faithful to him. Because of his grace, he is even faithful to us when we make the choice to not be faithful to him. In this present day and age, people have a hard time making a commitment. They give themselves an escape pass in case it doesn't work for them. God doesn't want that kind of commitment. We need to serve him when he is blessing us and when the blessings are not coming. We make the choice to stay committed to God. We must be pressing toward the high calling of God. We are called to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. You do not need to be a preacher behind the pulpit to share the gospel. When you are giving your testimony and living a Christ centered life, you are sharing the gospel to everyone around you. Not everyone will accept what you have to say, that is ok, someone will. It's so important today to stand on God's word. We must be called out of the darkness and into his light. The world is becoming darker and darker. We must not let this rub off on the church. We are to love everyone. By loving and showing kindness it does not mean you accept the behavior. If someone is a liar, you love them, show them kindness, but you do not say it's ok for them to be a liar. This goes to any and all sin. Love the sinner, but do not accept the sin. Stand for what is right according to God's word even if the world does not agree with you. Make sure you are full of God's word. If you are not reading his word on a daily bases, you will become weak. We must stay strong and press toward the calling of God. It's time for the church to be the brightest it has ever been. God is good.

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Presently, I am enjoying the New York Philharmonic live in Central Park. I'm so glad my mom was able to come with us. We are enjoying our time together and look forward to the fireworks to follow. RJ to pass the time made light sabers out of his glow sticks and have a duel with his grandma. We treasure life moments like this. God is good.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Tonight in our Home Bible Study, the topic was about our words. Our spoken word reveals what's in our hearts. The more of God we have in us the more life was speak. It was a good lesson. At the end of group, we all prayed for my mom. She goes in tomorrow for another MRI. Every day is a walk by faith that she is getting better. We all prayed by faith that we would get a good report from the MRI. I know God has my mom in his hands. I know God is in control, so we walk by faith one day at a time. God is good.

Monday, June 13, 2016

RJ and Ross have been in NJ for the past few days. They are having some summer fun at Grammy's house. When we spoke with RJ this morning, he expressed a desire to come home because he wanted a few lazy summer days at home. Bob, being the good dad he is, went and picked him up. Mom has a lot of doctors appointments, so I don't know how this summer will go. I think RJ will get his wish and have a lot of summer days to relax at home. I don't mind, we are usually away most of the summer. I will be nice to have some playdates here in NY. Mom is doing better one day at a time. I'm thankful for the amazing doctors she has here in NY. God is good.

Sunday, June 12, 2016

With sermons like today, I wish I had a copy of pastor's notes. He preached a dynamic sermon, "We Will Claim The Promises". His main text was from Nehemiah 4:1-6. Israel was in bondage due to disobedience . God allowed them to be in captivity and promised them that he would restore them when they called on the name of the Lord. Sometimes God will allow things to come into your life to bring you back to him. It's so important that we praise him and live for him when things are going good. Don't wait for something bad to happen to you to cause you to reach out to him. In order for the promise of God to come to pass we need to participate and do our part to bring it to pass. Noah was promised deliverance from the storm, but he had to build and Ark first. God has given us great promise, we need to get up and claim them. Nehemiah was given permission to rebuild the city. It was 70 years after God gave his promise and it was finally coming to pass. They had to get up and labor for it. God is speaking to his people today and giving them promises. God has a plan for us, they are not behind us, they are still ahead. The best is yet to come! The devil is a liar and he will do whatever he can to discourage you from receiving the promises of God. We will start to compare the size of the job to our human resources. We must instead focus on how big our God is. God uses small things to do big things. He used 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish to feed 5,ooo people. God delights in small things. It's not by might or by power, but by God's spirit. We must not overestimate our problem and underestimate God. Nothing is too hard for God. We need to get up and say that we have a promise from God and go into the battlefield. We can do all things through Christ that gives us strength. He always causes us to triumph. If God be for us who can be against us. No weapon formed against us shall prosper! We serve a God who is powerful and mighty. The secret to winning every battle is on our knees in prayer. Prayer changes things. When a battle comes your way, you fight on your knees in prayer. When obstacles come, get on your knees and pray. Pray and praise your way to your victory and the promises of God. It was a very good sermon. We are in the last days, we must pray like never before. On a side note, I want to express my heartbreak over the many lives that were lost today in Orlando, Florida. It was only a matter of time before the violence we have seen all over the world would come eventually to American soil. I pray for all the families who lost loved ones due to this horrible situation. I pray for God's protection on my family. I pray for God to come soon. We are in the last days, Jesus is coming soon. I will not let fear rule me. I will love, trust and continue to live for Christ. God is good.

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Tonight was the last night of the NY Metro District Conference. Bro. Bernard, the General Superintendent of the UPCI, was the main speaker for tonight. His title was, "The Revival Of The 11th Hour". His main text was taken from Mathew 20:6-7. I am going to attempt to convey to you the depth of his burden he passed on to us tonight. I don't know if I can do his sermon justice, but I will try. Bro. Bernard believes that we are living in the 11th hour. The 11th hour is the last hour of work in a 12 hour day. It's when we have to work harder to get everything done in the last hour. The world is becoming darker and darker. In the past sin has always been around. In our present day the world glorifies the sin. The church is still here and is still a light in the dark hour. It is God's will for us to have the greatest revival right now. Jesus is coming soon, this is the last great revival. Where sin abounds the grace of God so much more abounds. In Acts chapter 2,On the day of Pentecost there were 3,120 that received the Holy Ghost. This past February in a crusade in Bangladesh, 3,500 received the Holy Ghost. In Acts chapter 3, the lame came and were healed. In February at a conference in Thailand, a lame man was healed. In Acts chapter 4, 5,000 were added to the church. This past February at a crusade in the Philippines, 5,000 were added to the church. In Acts chapter 5, Ananias and Sephira lied and dropped dead. Lets make sure we don't follow in that direction. Make sure you are not lying to your Pastor. Recently in Myanmar a new Vice President was elected. He is a member of the UPCI. They are trying to reverse years of Christian persecution. Recently in the United Nations, the Rev. Art Wilson has been asked to give Bible studies. God is pouring out his spirit all over the world. New York is the center of everything. We can reach the world right here in New York. We read in the book of Mathew that they were in the process of harvesting the field. When it became apparent that harvest was greater than they realized, they needed more workers. We are in the 11th hour and there is a greater harvest than realized. It's time to get out of our comfort zones and reach beyond what is familiar. We need to start focusing on cultures that are not familiar to us. Pray, ask God to guide you, speak to your pastor and start harvesting. Don't limit what God can do by what you see around you. Jesus is coming soon, it's time to work. This is the 11th hour and we are in the greatest revival. We are in the last revival. Jesus is coming. God is good.

Friday, June 10, 2016

Tonight was the 2nd night of the United Pentecostal Church, New York Metro District Conference. Bro. Dawson was the main speaker for the evening. His title was, "Time To Put God First" and he preached from Haggai 1:1-10. There was an interpreter for the Spanish speaking and this causes my note-taking to not be as good as I would like it to be. Bro. Dawson was placing an emphases on how the church needs to put God first now, more than ever before. God needs to be first place in our lives. When we put God first things fall into place. When we put God first, it becomes a pleasure to serve. On a side note, I would ask you keep my mom in your prayers. The road to recovery is a long one. We have started the doctor visits and soon Physical Therapy will begin. I have no doubt she will get better. It's not easy for her to not be able to do everything like she used to. We appreciate your prayers. God is good.

Thursday, June 09, 2016

This weekend is the NY Metro church conference. Tonight's service was preached in Spanish with an English translator. I didn't take notes, since these types of preaching are hard for me to follow if I am writing and listening to an interpreter at the same time. The speaker was Bro. Hopkins. He preached "Praising Into Your Purpose", from Acts 16. In the darkest hour is the time for us to praise our way through. The nightingale has a special song that it sings in the dark of the night. When we have opposition thrown at us, we are not to lose our song. We are to praise him even the more and the louder. No matter what is being thrown our way, we need to praise God with all we have. It is so important that we do not lose our praise to God. It's in the jail time, the dark time, that we can praise our way to the purpose of what God is doing. Tonight's service was predominately in Spanish. The wonderful thing about God's presence is that it doesn't matter the language being spoken, God is still God. You can feel him and you know when he is moving. The roar of the worship tonight was intense. When dark times come, lift up your voice and worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. God is good.

Wednesday, June 08, 2016

The day started out on the cooler side, but the sun was still shinning. My mom had some energy, so she decided to accompany me to the mall. She did pretty good walking around. She is healing and I'm so thankful for it. When we walked out from the mall, we were greeted with wind and torrential rainfall. By the time we got to the car we were laughing and wet. It rained for several hours after that. Then the sun came back out and the wind remained. Tomorrow is the last day of 3rd grade. I can't believe this school year is coming to an end. God is good.

Tuesday, June 07, 2016

Tonight we had our Home Bible Study Group. The lesson revolved around keeping God first and giving him everything. It made me think about a coupe of weeks ago. Bro. Ben had a bag and told us to put our cares into the bag. He then took the bag outside and told us to leave our cares in it. How many times do we hold on so tight to the things that burden us? Even though we know that God will take it, we cling to it. When we give it to God we are lighter and he gives is new purpose. It's a daily process to not take the cares back. I learned a long time ago that I sleep better when I give things to God that I can't control. I even do my best give him what I "can" control because his way is much better. It's a daily journey and I chose to give him my cares and trust where God leads me. God is good.

Monday, June 06, 2016

Tonight as I was tucking RJ into bed he started talking about God. He recalled a time when he was in Sunday School and his teacher told him that since he was our Heavenly Father in heaven that he could also call him Daddy. "We all have two dads. One in heaven and one on earth. This means orphans don't have to be too sad. They have a heavenly daddy who loves them and is with them. I really love my daddy and my heavenly daddy.." He fell asleep as he was saying this. God is good.

Sunday, June 05, 2016

When Bro and Sis. Marvin Walker come to Bethel and minister, something big always happens in my family. Today, Bro. Walker preached a dynamic sermon. It had a profound impact on RJ. His sermon was titled, "Pentecost, The Power Source Of God's Church". HIs main text was taken from Acts 1:4-5 and 8-9. The Indy 500 race has a traditional saying, "Gentleman, start your engines". This has changed over time to add Ladies to the saying. Without their fuel source in the cars, this statement can be repeated over and over and nothing will happen. They need the source of their energy, fuel or a working battery to be able to start their engines. There are other power sources for different objects. A wielding gun needs electricity to do it's job. A lantern needs kerosene to light up. The furnace of an old pot iron stove needs coal to bring the heat. Windmills need wind to generate electricity. Rockets need fuel made of liquid and solid matter in order to go into space. Humans need food and water as a source of energy. Without the needed source of energy, none would work. The Church of the living God can not function properly without the source. We are the Bride of Christ and we must be in fellowship with him. We must be baptized in his name and filled with his spirit in order to have the power needed to be the church. How can the church be the church without the power source. The last words spoken by people who are dying are the most important words. After Jesus has resurrected from the dead and right before he was ascending into Heaven, he gave important instructions for the church. They needed to have power in order to be effective. We must be baptized in Jesus name, this is the formula needed for the church. We can not move away from the Acts 2:38 message of salvation. The Church needs to be careful that they do not become dependent on programs and the organization of the service. We must be spirit led, we must be filled with he Holy Ghost. Once you are filled with the Holy Ghost, God's spirit, by evidence of speaking in other tounges and baptized in his name, you become empowered. You can not only let this happen to you once. You need to make sure you are powered up on a daily basis. Be full and overflowing with the Holy Ghost. This last part of the sermon struck a chord in RJ. Bro. Walker talked about how important is to walk daily in the spirit of God. RJ received the Holy Ghost a while back. He was not seeking it, he was worshiping God and it just happened. My boy ran to the alter today and fell to his knees praying for the Holy Ghost and was just talking to God. I don't think I have ever seen him pray like that before. He told his dad later that he felt like God flipped on a switch inside of him and his walk with God has truly started. I'm thankful for this. God is good.